Life On Mars

  TrendPimp recently sat down for an interview with Wayne Calvin Byrd II, producer of the upcoming hip-hop themed reality show Life On Mars. With a master’s degree in Film Direction and Production from UCLA and an upcoming professorship teaching film at Pepperdine University, Wayne Byrd is a man who knows a thing or two about making good television.

TrendPimp: You recently began production on a reality show called Life On Mars. What's the show about?

Wayne Calvin Byrd II: Life On Mars can be loosely described as MTV’s Life of Ryan meets VH1’s Behind The Music. Life On Mars chronicles the chaotic daily life of Lamar “Mars” Edwards, an impressionable young hip-hop prodigy caught between two opposing worlds and on the edge of creating, dominating and changing the sound of a generation. Mars is caught in a struggle to juggle his many different bi-coastal industry gigs. And even though his partnership with platinum selling rapper T.I. should be priority #1, his strained relationship with his preaching dad threatens to distract him from making the beats that make him the money. With only 24 hours in a day to manage 5 musical jobs, a celebrity mix tape in the works, and a newly-formed romantic relationship with his artist Joi Starr, can Mars make it all happen successfully? Life On Mars takes you along for the ride on this whirlwind of a journey.

TP: For people who haven't heard of him, who is Lamar "Mars" Edwards?

WB: Mars is a Los Angeles native who, at the young age of 22, is already a master of 4 musical instruments and an accomplished phenom within the music industry. Signed to Warryn Campbell’s My Block Records, Lamar has helped to create hits for Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicole Scherzinger (of Pussycat Dolls fame), Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Mary Mary, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Bow Wow, Young Dro, Lil Scrappy, Music Soulchild, Lloyd, Damani, Ghostface Killa, Tweet, Mack 10, Heavy D, and the list goes on. He is currently partners with T.I. and C-Gutta (he produced hits including “Shoulder Lean”) in a music production company called Smash Factory. He’s the keyboard player in the band 1500 or Nothin and has performed live with artists like P. Diddy, Lupe Fiasco, Ruben Studdard, and Bobby Valentino, to name a few. Oh yeah, and last but not least, he’s also a preacher’s kid who was kicked out of his strict home at 17 for choosing to pursue his musical dreams. Church is his foundation, but hip-hop is his future.

TP: Will the show focus more on Mars' career, or his personal life? Or are the two inseparable?

WB: Mars’ career and personal life are definitely inseparable. He realized at an early age that he was born to make music, and much of his identity since has been woven into this calling. The show therefore will artfully capture both. I think that the integrity between his career and personal life is part of the reason his music is so moving. His sound is generated internally and therefore is constantly altered by the natural changes in emotion that he experiences. The show will capture this dance between his personal trials and the amazing music it helps him create.

TP: Will any of the other popular artists that Mars has worked with be making appearances on the show?

WB: Mars has given the show an all access pass to his life, and therefore, whatever he does and whomever he does it with will be captured by the cameras. This show will open up a world few get to see and even fewer get to live. While you may have seen interviews with your favorite artists before, you have never seen them while creating the music that you love. A funny thing happens when artists are working with Mars, they seem to become transparent. The pretensions disappear and a rarely-seen humility emerges. Not only does Life On Mars promise to feature tons of popular artists, but it will deliver them more transparently than you have ever seen them before.

TP: You partnered up with T.I.'s production company, Grand Hustle Films, to produce Life On Mars. How did that collaboration come about, and what has it been like so far?

WB: Mars and I were discussing a few of [my production company] 828 Entertainment’s upcoming projects and he realized that some of what we were discussing would be of interest to T.I. As Mars and I continued to work together, he became even more confident that connecting me with T.I. would be a great idea. Mars started to expose T.I. to some of the work 828 Entertainment was doing and before long I was having discussions with T.I. about the possibility of our coming together to create a mutually beneficial partnership. He liked the concepts we were developing and wanted to be part of the effort to bring them to the screen. We’re both confident that our partnership is going to birth some powerful content.

TP: How far along is the show's production, and when can people expect to see Life on Mars on television?

WB: We don’t yet have a definite date when the show will be launched. A few major networks have already expressed interest but we are waiting to ink a solid deal that we feel is best for the show. Interested parties can contact us about the show at LifeOnMars828@gmail.com.

TP: What's next for you - and for Mars - after this show?

WB: 828 Entertainment has a full slate of projects that are in various stages of development, two of which are pretty much ready to go. Interestingly, both are music-related. One is the reality show, which looks extremely promising, and the other is a feature film called The Pulse. Mars is helping to executive produce the reality show and will be working on the soundtrack and score for the film. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning for Mars and I.

  For the latest updates on the development of Life On Mars, check out the show’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/LifeOnMars828.

About the author:

  Curtis is a writer specializing in politics, popular media and the entertainment industry. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, he graduated from Kwantlen University College with an Arts degree in 2006 and is now a contributing editor at TrendPimp magazine. His online portfolio can be found at CurtisSpring.com.